Representative: Take inititive to stop blood diamonds

I would like to bring to your attention the horrific practices that surround the mining and trading of certain diamonds. First of, let me say that this is not an attack on the diamond industry. I am looking for a way to stop blood diamonds from being bought and sold in our country, to decrease the fuel that had been keeping this fire going.

In 2003, the United Nations and many other countries took the initiative against the horrible practice by laying down regulations and stipulations, called the Kimberely Process. Embargoes and restraining orders were placed on countries and people known to be involved in the blood diamond trade. Individual countries further laid down their own restrictions.

As admirable as these steps are, proof is still being found that there are still some blood diamonds in circulation. Furthermore, civil organizations such as Amnesty International continues to find proof that blood diamond mining and trading is still being carried out in certain parts of Africa. This is a strong blow to the fight against blood diamonds. As we speak, there are innocent men and women, including children, who are suffering because of blood diamonds. Whether or not they are being affected directly, the results are the same.

As a concerned individual, I would like to be able to do what I can to help stop this detestable practice. I support the Clean Diamond Act, as I am sure countless other people do. Yet I think that more can still be done to ensure that concrete steps are actually taken. Despite the different legislation in place and the efforts of many concerned individuals and companies, there are still scores of people out there who are not aware of blood diamonds. I believe that we should do more than support such steps and take things further. We need to step up on information campaigns. We also need to exert enough pressure on the lawmakers and enforcers so that they will actually make sure that the restrictions and regulations are enforced.